Presenting at MidSOUTH Summer School

“Media Messaging: Is it Really About the Message” and “Tackling Meth: Help in Your Community….I’ll be presenting those sessions tomorrow  at the MidSouth Summer School on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Problems at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

That’s Little Rock, Arkansas, one of the few states where I haven’t touched down.

And I’ll tell them Oregon’s story in the meth battle.  There are some relatively new developments on the meth prevention front – not the least of which is the virtual disappearance of deadly meth labs in Oregon.  And now other states are taking note and action.

What can local drug prevention coalitions and groups do to help their cause via the media – old and new?  A lot, of course…It’s always a topic that draws much interest.

- Pete Schulberg

Oregon Partnership’s Cushing Tapped For National Panel

Oregon Partnership President/CEO Judy Cushing, one of the state’s top advocates for  substance abuse prevention, has been appointed to serve on the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Advisory Council.

The Council advises, consults with and makes recommendations to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and to the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

This isn’t the first time Cushing has been call on to participate on a national level.  She was a member of the National Research Council Institute of Medicine’s committee that produced the landmark report, “Reducing Underage Drinking – A Collective Responsibility” and was appointed by President George Bush to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Drug-Free Communities.

Under Cushing’s leadership, Oregon Partnership has earned a national reputation for innovative and effective prevention programs and curriculums in the field of substance abuse.

Oregon Partnership in with Warning about OLCC proposal

           The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is considering relaxing a rule involving minors being allowed in establishments where alcohol is served. Oregon Partnership’s position? Some red flags that cannot be ignored.

 This proposed rule revises the rule section that specifies when and under what conditions a minor may be present in a licensed facility.  It retains the general standard of prohibiting minors when there is a “drinking environment.”  Generally, this means that drinking is the primary activity versus eating or entertainment or some other activity.  The rule is substantially reorganized and rewritten.  However, the important change is that it would allow minors to be in more licensed establishments where alcohol is served.   

The major area of change is for venues that typically have live entertainment attractive to youth.  To permit minors in these places, a detailed control plan is required.  The specifies what must be in a control plan and how it must demonstrate that minors will not obtain alcohol or be exposed to a “drinking environment.”  The rule includes a new provision giving the OLCC the ability to cite the licensee if they fail to follow their own control plan.  This is an important change which will make the control plan more than just a paper document.

 Oregon Partnership’s Position:   

1.      Oregon Partnership advises a very cautious approach with strict enforcement. In drafting the rule, OLCC staff has made a substantial effort to exercise care and caution in allowing more opportunities for youth to enjoy live entertainment and other activities.  Oregon Partnership believes OLCC should continue this cautious approach in granting this privilege and should strictly enforce the control plans.

2.      Oregon Partnership will not support this rule if it generally allows young children in places where alcohol is served.  We do not see anything in the rule which addresses this issue.  There is a trend of young tweens and teens—particularly girls (age 12, 13, 14)—partying with older males in their 20s.  This rule should not facilitate this dangerous trend.  Oregon Partnership sees a big difference in allowing 18, 19 and 20 year old youth in entertainment venues versus younger children.  For the most part, we believe these provisions should apply to 18, 19 and 20 year olds.  We understand from OLCC staff that a Control Plan can include restrictions by age; however, we do not see this in the rule and would need some assurance about this issue.

  

3.      Oregon Partnership is concerned about the lack of OLCC enforcement resources.  While OLCC received funding for additional staff from the last Legislative Session, that still doesn’t meet current needs.  We note that OLCC added 463 licenses in the most recent fiscal year.  We would prefer to see new OLCC resources devoted to underage sales compliance checks, a proven method of reducing illegal sales.  This rule will divert enforcement resources from other things

4.      Oregon Partnership believes the OLCC relies too heavily on  the criterion of “drinking environment” and should give more consideration to the increase in access. While no one wants minors in a drinking environment, the research is pretty clear that access should be a major consideration.  Research now shows a correlation between the number of alcohol outlets and community problems including underage drinking. This makes sense as more outlets require more enforcement, training of clerks/servers, etc.  With the number of licenses growing every year, some recognition of this problem should appear in the rule.  It also should give weight to the need for a cautious approach in adding opportunities for youth to be in alcohol serving venues.